Delhi-UP transport row worsens, Delhi suspends bus service to UP

New Delhi, Nov 17 (UNI) In a worsening of the transport row between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) today cancelled its bus service to Noida.

Giving this information to mediapersons here, Delhi Transport Minister Haroon Yusuf said,''all DTC buses going to Noida stand suspended in response to the UP authorities having seized nearly 35 DTC buses operating in Noida.'' The school buses plying to schools in Noida would, however, continue to operate, he said but added that ''in case these buses too are seized by the UP authorities, the schools authorities will have to make their own arrangements for ferrying the children''.

Adopting a tough stance on the issue, Mr Yusuf said the Delhi Government would not allow the UP transport department to operate its buses in Delhi on city routes.

Criticising attempts by UP to politicise the matter, Mr Yusuf said this approach would only wosen matters.

Meanwhile, the UP transport authorities have also decided not to operate UP roadways buses in Delhi. Accordingly, the UP roadways buses will ply only upto the state border.

The row had occured after the Delhi transport department on Tuesday impounded 11 buses of the UP Transport which were operating on city routes. The UP authorities in turn impounded DTC buses operating on Noida routes.

As per the guidelines of the Supreme Court, buses of outside states cannot run as city buses in the capital of a state.

''As per the apex court guidelines, interstate buses from, say, UP or Haryana, can enter Delhi but are allowed to run only upto the Inter State Bus terminal and not as city buses.

It is under this guideline that the 11 new buses being run by the UP transport department were impounded,''sources in the Delhi transport department said.

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